Win ye an amazing prize!

[Seafront Plodder]

'O' stands for ordinary. It was the benchmark exam for 16 year olds. Usually 5 or more O's, and you had the option to study for 'A' level (advanced), in the subjects you were good at.

Those who were too thick in a subject took CSE (Certificate of Secondary Education), and it wasn't uncommon for pupils to have a combination of O and CSE's in different subjects.

Nowadays O level has been superseded by GCSE's, (General Certificate of Secondary Education) as has CSE. Nowadays also all exams are easier, kids are 'students' not pupils, schools are now 'colleges', and parent/guardians are now 'parent/carers'.

Oh yes, and teachers are leaving the industry in droves as they cannot discipline the kids without being hauled before the beak on some mickey mouse assault charge. Teachers' salaries are crap compared with the private sector, so new teachers now are the ones who can't cut it in the real world, and this shows in the quality of teaching, although curiously not in the exam results since as (as I said), exams are easier now because kids are not allowed to fail as this might scar the little darlings for the rest of their lives.

Oh yes, and most teachers are in it because they get around half the year off, and they are still bitching as they reckon they do too much overtime.

I guess that just about slags off most of the education system!

What's it like in your neck of the woods MLC?